English engineer Christopher Cockerell, best known for inventing the hovercraft, was born on June 4, 1910.

Until 1935, Cockerell worked for the Radio Research Company followed by a stint with the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company until 1951. He invented the hovercraft in 1956.

A hovercraft is a vehicle that rests on an air cushion which is powered by a fan that is attached to the craft. The idea for the hovercraft was based on a desire to build a vehicle that moved over water surfaces, separated by a layer of air.

The world lost Cockerell on June 1, 1999 just a few days shy of his 89th birthday.